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Chinta S, Pluta SR. Neural mechanisms for the localization of unexpected external motion. Nat Commun 2023; 14:6112. [PMID: 37777516 PMCID: PMC10542789 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-41755-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/02/2023] Open
Abstract
To localize objects during active sensing, animals must differentiate stimuli caused by volitional movement from real-world object motion. To determine a neural basis for this ability, we examined the mouse superior colliculus (SC), which contains multiple egocentric maps of sensorimotor space. By placing mice in a whisker-guided virtual reality, we discovered a rapidly adapting tactile response that transiently emerged during externally generated gains in whisker contact. Responses to self-generated touch that matched self-generated history were significantly attenuated, revealing that transient response magnitude is controlled by sensorimotor predictions. The magnitude of the transient response gradually decreased with repetitions in external motion, revealing a slow habituation based on external history. The direction of external motion was accurately encoded in the firing rates of transiently responsive neurons. These data reveal that whisker-specific adaptation and sensorimotor predictions in SC neurons enhance the localization of unexpected, externally generated changes in tactile space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suma Chinta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
- Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Scott R Pluta
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
- Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
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2
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Vaissiere T, Michaelson S, Creson T, Goins J, Fürth D, Balazsfi D, Rojas C, Golovin R, Meletis K, Miller CA, O’Connor D, Rumbaugh G. Sensorimotor Integration Supporting Perception Requires Syngap1 Expression in Cortex. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.09.27.559787. [PMID: 37808765 PMCID: PMC10557642 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.27.559787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Perception, a cognitive construct, emerges through sensorimotor integration (SMI). The molecular and cellular mechanisms that shape SMI within circuits that promote cognition are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that expression of the autism/intellectual disability gene, Syngap1, in mouse cortical excitatory neurons promotes touch sensitivity required to elicit perceptual behaviors. Cortical Syngap1 expression enabled touch-induced feedback signals within sensorimotor loops by assembling circuits that support tactile sensitivity. These circuits also encoded correlates of attention that promoted self-generated whisker movements underlying purposeful and sustained object exploration. As Syngap1 deficient animals explored objects with whiskers, relatively weak touch signals were integrated with relatively strong motor signals. This produced a signal-to-noise deficit consistent with impaired tactile sensitivity, reduced tactile exploration, and weak tactile learning. Thus, Syngap1 expression in cortex promotes tactile perception by assembling circuits that integrate touch and whisker motor signals. Deficient Syngap1 expression likely contributes to cognitive impairment through abnormal top-down SMI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Vaissiere
- Department of Neuroscience, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Sheldon Michaelson
- Department of Neuroscience, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Thomas Creson
- Department of Neuroscience, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Jessie Goins
- Department of Neuroscience, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Daniel Fürth
- SciLifeLab, Department of Immunology, Genetics & Pathology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Diana Balazsfi
- Department of Neuroscience, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Camilo Rojas
- Department of Neuroscience, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Randall Golovin
- Department of Neuroscience, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | | | - Courtney A. Miller
- Department of Neuroscience, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL, USA
- Department of Molecular Medicine, UF Scripps Biomedical Research, Jupiter, FL, USA
| | - Daniel O’Connor
- Department of Neuroscience, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Gavin Rumbaugh
- Department of Neuroscience, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, Jupiter, FL, USA
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3
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Zhou J, Hormigo S, Busel N, Castro-Alamancos MA. The Orienting Reflex Reveals Behavioral States Set by Demanding Contexts: Role of the Superior Colliculus. J Neurosci 2023; 43:1778-1796. [PMID: 36750370 PMCID: PMC10010463 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1643-22.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2022] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Sensory stimuli can trigger an orienting reflex (response) by which animals move the head to position their sensors (e.g., eyes, pinna, whiskers). Orienting responses may be important to evaluate stimuli that call for action (e.g., approach, escape, ignore), but little is known about the dynamics of orienting responses in the context of goal-directed actions. Using mice of either sex, we found that, during a signaled avoidance action, the orienting response evoked by the conditioned stimulus (CS) consisted of a fast head movement containing rotational and translational components that varied substantially as a function of the behavioral and underlying brain states of the animal set by different task contingencies. Larger CS-evoked orienting responses were associated with high-intensity auditory stimuli, failures to produce the appropriate signaled action, and behavioral states resulting from uncertain or demanding situations and the animal's ability to cope with them. As a prototypical orienting neural circuit, we confirmed that the superior colliculus controls and codes the direction of spontaneous exploratory orienting movements. In addition, superior colliculus activity correlated with CS-evoked orienting responses, and either its optogenetic inhibition or excitation potentiated CS-evoked orienting responses, which are likely generated downstream in the medulla. CS-evoked orienting responses may be a useful probe to assess behavioral and related brain states, and state-dependent modulation of orienting responses may involve the superior colliculus.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Humans and other animals produce an orienting reflex (also known as orienting response) by which they rapidly orient their head and sensors to evaluate novel or salient stimuli. Spontaneous orienting movements also occur during exploration of the environment in the absence of explicit, salient stimuli. We monitored stimulus-evoked orienting responses in mice performing signaled avoidance behaviors and found that these responses reflect the behavioral state of the animal set by contextual demands and the animal's ability to cope with them. Various experiments involving the superior colliculus revealed a well-established role in spontaneous orienting but only an influencing effect over orienting responses. Stimulus-evoked orienting responses may be a useful probe of behavioral and related brain states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Zhou
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut 06001
| | - Sebastian Hormigo
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut 06001
| | - Natan Busel
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut 06001
| | - Manuel A Castro-Alamancos
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut 06001
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A novel stimulator to investigate the tuning of multi-whisker responsive neurons for speed and the direction of global motion: Contact-sensitive moving stimulator for multi-whisker stimulation. J Neurosci Methods 2022; 374:109565. [PMID: 35292306 PMCID: PMC9295048 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2022.109565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The rodent vibrissal (whisker) systcnsorimotor integration and active tactile sensing. Experiments on the vibrissal system often require highly repeatable stimulation of multiple whiskers and the ability to vary stimulation parameters across a wide range. The stimulator must also be easy to position and adjust. Developing a multi-whisker stimulation system that meets these criteria remains challenging. NEW METHOD We describe a novel multi-whisker stimulator to assess neural selectivity for the direction of global motion. The device can generate repeatable, linear sweeps of tactile stimulation across the whisker array in any direction and with a range of speeds. A fiber optic beam break detects the interval of whisker contact as the stimulator passes through the array. RESULTS We demonstrate the device's function and utility by recording from a small number of multi-whisker-responsive neurons in the trigeminal brainstem. Neurons had higher firing rates in response to faster stimulation speeds; some also exhibited strong direction-of-motion tuning. COMPARISON WITH EXISTING METHODS The stimulator complements more standard piezo-electric stimulators, which offer precise control but typically stimulate only single whiskers, require whisker trimming, and travel through small angles. It also complements non-contact methods of stimulation such as air-puffs and electromagnetic-induced stimulation. Tradeoffs include stimulation speed and frequency, and the inability to stimulate whiskers individually. CONCLUSIONS The stimulator could be used - in either anesthetized or awake, head-fixed preparations - as an approach to studying global motion selectivity of multi-whisker sensitive neurons at multiple levels of the vibrissal-trigeminal system.
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5
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Xie Z, Wang M, Liu Z, Shang C, Zhang C, Sun L, Gu H, Ran G, Pei Q, Ma Q, Huang M, Zhang J, Lin R, Zhou Y, Zhang J, Zhao M, Luo M, Wu Q, Cao P, Wang X. Transcriptomic encoding of sensorimotor transformation in the midbrain. eLife 2021; 10:e69825. [PMID: 34318750 PMCID: PMC8341986 DOI: 10.7554/elife.69825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Sensorimotor transformation, a process that converts sensory stimuli into motor actions, is critical for the brain to initiate behaviors. Although the circuitry involved in sensorimotor transformation has been well delineated, the molecular logic behind this process remains poorly understood. Here, we performed high-throughput and circuit-specific single-cell transcriptomic analyses of neurons in the superior colliculus (SC), a midbrain structure implicated in early sensorimotor transformation. We found that SC neurons in distinct laminae expressed discrete marker genes. Of particular interest, Cbln2 and Pitx2 were key markers that define glutamatergic projection neurons in the optic nerve (Op) and intermediate gray (InG) layers, respectively. The Cbln2+ neurons responded to visual stimuli mimicking cruising predators, while the Pitx2+ neurons encoded prey-derived vibrissal tactile cues. By forming distinct input and output connections with other brain areas, these neuronal subtypes independently mediated behaviors of predator avoidance and prey capture. Our results reveal that, in the midbrain, sensorimotor transformation for different behaviors may be performed by separate circuit modules that are molecularly defined by distinct transcriptomic codes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhiyong Xie
- National Institute of Biological SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Mengdi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (Shanghai), Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Zeyuan Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (Shanghai), Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Congping Shang
- Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
| | - Changjiang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (Shanghai), Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Le Sun
- Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Huating Gu
- National Institute of Biological SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Gengxin Ran
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (Shanghai), Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Qing Pei
- National Institute of Biological SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Qiang Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (Shanghai), Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Meizhu Huang
- Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
| | - Junjing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Rui Lin
- National Institute of Biological SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Youtong Zhou
- National Institute of Biological SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Jiyao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Miao Zhao
- National Institute of Biological SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Minmin Luo
- National Institute of Biological SciencesBeijingChina
- Chinese Institute for Brain ResearchBeijingChina
| | - Qian Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Peng Cao
- National Institute of Biological SciencesBeijingChina
- Tsinghua Institute of Multidisciplinary Biomedical Research, Tsinghua UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Xiaoqun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (Shanghai), Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Bioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
- Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Capital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
- Chinese Institute for Brain ResearchBeijingChina
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Big Data-Based Precision Medicine, Beihang University & Capital Medical UniversityBeijingChina
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6
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Bernhard SM, Lee J, Zhu M, Hsu A, Erskine A, Hires SA, Barth AL. An automated homecage system for multiwhisker detection and discrimination learning in mice. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0232916. [PMID: 33264281 PMCID: PMC7710058 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0232916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Automated, homecage behavioral training for rodents has many advantages: it is low stress, requires little interaction with the experimenter, and can be easily manipulated to adapt to different experimental conditions. We have developed an inexpensive, Arduino-based, homecage training apparatus for sensory association training in freely-moving mice using multiwhisker air current stimulation coupled to a water reward. Animals learn this task readily, within 1–2 days of training, and performance progressively improves with training. We examined the parameters that regulate task acquisition using different stimulus intensities, directions, and reward valence. Learning was assessed by comparing anticipatory licking for the stimulus compared to the no-stimulus (blank) trials. At high stimulus intensities (>9 psi), animals showed markedly less participation in the task. Conversely, very weak air current intensities (1–2 psi) were not sufficient to generate rapid learning behavior. At intermediate stimulus intensities (5–6 psi), a majority of mice learned that the multiwhisker stimulus predicted the water reward after 24–48 hrs of training. Both exposure to isoflurane and lack of whiskers decreased animals’ ability to learn the task. Following training at an intermediate stimulus intensity, mice were able to transfer learning behavior when exposed to a lower stimulus intensity, an indicator of perceptual learning. Mice learned to discriminate between two directions of stimulation rapidly and accurately, even when the angular distance between the stimuli was <15 degrees. Switching the reward to a more desirable reward, aspartame, had little effect on learning trajectory. Our results show that a tactile association task in an automated homecage environment can be monitored by anticipatory licking to reveal rapid and progressive behavioral change. These Arduino-based, automated mouse cages enable high-throughput training that facilitate analysis of large numbers of genetically modified mice with targeted manipulations of neural activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M. Bernhard
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Jiseok Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Mo Zhu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Alex Hsu
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Andrew Erskine
- Department of Biological Sciences, Section of Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Samuel A. Hires
- Department of Biological Sciences, Section of Neurobiology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Alison L. Barth
- Department of Biological Sciences, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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7
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Gharaei S, Honnuraiah S, Arabzadeh E, Stuart GJ. Superior colliculus modulates cortical coding of somatosensory information. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1693. [PMID: 32245963 PMCID: PMC7125203 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15443-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The cortex modulates activity in superior colliculus via a direct projection. What is largely unknown is whether (and if so how) the superior colliculus modulates activity in the cortex. Here, we investigate this issue and show that optogenetic activation of superior colliculus changes the input-output relationship of neurons in somatosensory cortex, enhancing responses to low amplitude whisker deflections. While there is no direct pathway from superior colliculus to somatosensory cortex, we found that activation of superior colliculus drives spiking in the posterior medial (POm) nucleus of the thalamus via a powerful monosynaptic pathway. Furthermore, POm neurons receiving input from superior colliculus provide monosynaptic excitatory input to somatosensory cortex. Silencing POm abolished the capacity of superior colliculus to modulate cortical whisker responses. Our findings indicate that the superior colliculus, which plays a key role in attention, modulates sensory processing in somatosensory cortex via a powerful di-synaptic pathway through the thalamus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saba Gharaei
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
| | - Suraj Honnuraiah
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Ehsan Arabzadeh
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - Greg J Stuart
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
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8
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Nigro MJ. Sense and Action across the Layers of the Rat Posterior Parietal Cortex. J Neurosci 2020; 40:1606-1607. [PMID: 32075948 PMCID: PMC7046335 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2289-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Revised: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maximiliano José Nigro
- Centre for Neural Computation, Egil and Pauline Braathen and Fred Kavli Centre for Cortical Microcircuits, Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway
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9
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Zona Incerta GABAergic Output Controls a Signaled Locomotor Action in the Midbrain Tegmentum. eNeuro 2020; 7:ENEURO.0390-19.2020. [PMID: 32041743 PMCID: PMC7053170 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0390-19.2020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Revised: 01/27/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The zona incerta is a subthalamic nucleus proposed to link sensory stimuli with motor responses to guide behavior, but its functional role is not well established. Using mice of either sex, we studied the effect of manipulating zona incerta GABAergic cells on the expression of a signaled locomotor action, known as signaled active avoidance. We found that modulation of GABAergic zona incerta cells, but not of cells in the adjacent thalamic reticular nucleus (NRT), fully controls the expression of signaled active avoidance responses. Inhibition of zona incerta GABAergic cells drives active avoidance responses, while excitation of these cells blocks signaled active avoidance mainly by inhibiting cells in the midbrain pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT). The zona incerta regulates signaled locomotion in the midbrain.
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10
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Gall AJ, Goodwin AM, Khacherian OS, Teal LB. Superior Colliculus Lesions Lead to Disrupted Responses to Light in Diurnal Grass Rats ( Arvicanthis niloticus). J Biol Rhythms 2019; 35:45-57. [PMID: 31619104 DOI: 10.1177/0748730419881920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
The circadian system regulates daily rhythms of physiology and behavior. Although extraordinary advances have been made to elucidate the brain mechanisms underlying the circadian system in nocturnal species, less is known in diurnal species. Recent studies have shown that retinorecipient brain areas such as the intergeniculate leaflet (IGL) and olivary pretectal nucleus (OPT) are critical for the display of normal patterns of daily activity in diurnal grass rats (Arvicanthis niloticus). Specifically, grass rats with IGL and OPT lesions respond to light in similar ways to intact nocturnal animals. Importantly, both the IGL and OPT project to one another in nocturnal species, and there is evidence that these 2 brain regions also project to the superior colliculus (SC). The SC receives direct retinal input, is involved in the triggering of rapid eye movement sleep in nocturnal rats, and is disproportionately large in the diurnal grass rat. The objective of the current study was to use diurnal grass rats to test the hypothesis that the SC is critical for the expression of diurnal behavior and physiology. We performed bilateral electrolytic lesions of the SC in female grass rats to examine behavioral patterns and acute responses to light. Most grass rats with SC lesions expressed significantly reduced activity in the presence of light. Exposing these grass rats to constant darkness reinstated activity levels during the subjective day, suggesting that light masks their ability to display a diurnal activity profile in 12:12 LD. Altogether, our data suggest that the SC is critical for maintaining normal responses to light in female grass rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew J Gall
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Hope College, Holland, Michigan
| | - Alyssa M Goodwin
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Hope College, Holland, Michigan
| | - Ohanes S Khacherian
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Hope College, Holland, Michigan
| | - Laura B Teal
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience Program, Hope College, Holland, Michigan
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11
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A subcortical excitatory circuit for sensory-triggered predatory hunting in mice. Nat Neurosci 2019; 22:909-920. [DOI: 10.1038/s41593-019-0405-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2018] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
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12
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Circuits That Mediate Expression of Signaled Active Avoidance Converge in the Pedunculopontine Tegmentum. J Neurosci 2019; 39:4576-4594. [PMID: 30936242 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.0049-19.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
An innocuous sensory stimulus that reliably signals an upcoming aversive event can be conditioned to elicit locomotion to a safe location before the aversive outcome ensues. The neural circuits that mediate the expression of this signaled locomotor action, known as signaled active avoidance, have not been identified. While exploring sensorimotor midbrain circuits in mice of either sex, we found that excitation of GABAergic cells in the substantia nigra pars reticulata blocks signaled active avoidance by inhibiting cells in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT), not by inhibiting cells in the superior colliculus or thalamus. Direct inhibition of putative-glutamatergic PPT cells, excitation of GABAergic PPT cells, or excitation of GABAergic afferents in PPT, abolish signaled active avoidance. Conversely, excitation of putative-glutamatergic PPT cells, or inhibition of GABAergic PPT cells, can be tuned to drive avoidance responses. The PPT is an essential junction for the expression of signaled active avoidance gated by nigral and other synaptic afferents.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT When a harmful situation is signaled by a sensory stimulus (e.g., street light), subjects typically learn to respond with active or passive avoidance responses that circumvent the threat. During signaled active avoidance behavior, subjects move away to avoid a threat signaled by a preceding innocuous stimulus. We identified a part of the midbrain essential to process the signal and avoid the threat. Inhibition of neurons in this area eliminates avoidance responses to the signal but preserves escape responses caused by presentation of the threat. The results highlight an essential part of the neural circuits that mediate signaled active avoidance behavior.
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13
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Gharaei S, Arabzadeh E, Solomon SG. Integration of visual and whisker signals in rat superior colliculus. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16445. [PMID: 30401871 PMCID: PMC6219574 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34661-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 10/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Multisensory integration is a process by which signals from different sensory modalities are combined to facilitate detection and localization of external events. One substrate for multisensory integration is the midbrain superior colliculus (SC) which plays an important role in orienting behavior. In rodent SC, visual and somatosensory (whisker) representations are in approximate registration, but whether and how these signals interact is unclear. We measured spiking activity in SC of anesthetized hooded rats, during presentation of visual- and whisker stimuli that were tested simultaneously or in isolation. Visual responses were found in all layers, but were primarily located in superficial layers. Whisker responsive sites were primarily found in intermediate layers. In single- and multi-unit recording sites, spiking activity was usually only sensitive to one modality, when stimuli were presented in isolation. By contrast, we observed robust and primarily suppressive interactions when stimuli were presented simultaneously to both modalities. We conclude that while visual and whisker representations in SC of rat are partially overlapping, there is limited excitatory convergence onto individual sites. Multimodal integration may instead rely on suppressive interactions between modalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saba Gharaei
- Discipline of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. .,Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. .,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, Australia.
| | - Ehsan Arabzadeh
- Eccles Institute of Neuroscience, John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function, The Australian National University Node, Canberra, Australia
| | - Samuel G Solomon
- Discipline of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.,Institute of Behavioural Neuroscience, University College London, London, UK
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Bieler M, Xu X, Marquardt A, Hanganu-Opatz IL. Multisensory integration in rodent tactile but not visual thalamus. Sci Rep 2018; 8:15684. [PMID: 30356135 PMCID: PMC6200796 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33815-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavioural performance requires a coherent perception of environmental features that address multiple senses. These diverse sensory inputs are integrated in primary sensory cortices, yet it is still largely unknown whether their convergence occurs even earlier along the sensory tract. Here we investigate the role of putatively modality-specific first-order (FO) thalamic nuclei (ventral posteromedial nucleus (VPM), dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (dLGN)) and their interactions with primary sensory cortices (S1, V1) for multisensory integration in pigmented rats in vivo. We show that bimodal stimulation (i.e. simultaneous light flash and whisker deflection) enhances sensory evoked activity in VPM, but not dLGN. Moreover, cross-modal stimuli reset the phase of thalamic network oscillations and strengthen the coupling efficiency between VPM and S1, but not between dLGN and V1. Finally, the information flow from VPM to S1 is enhanced. Thus, FO tactile, but not visual, thalamus processes and relays sensory inputs from multiple senses, revealing a functional difference between sensory thalamic nuclei during multisensory integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malte Bieler
- Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251, Hamburg, Germany. .,Laboratory for Neural Computation, Department of Physiology, University of Oslo, 0372, Oslo, Norway.
| | - Xiaxia Xu
- Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Annette Marquardt
- Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ileana L Hanganu-Opatz
- Developmental Neurophysiology, Institute of Neuroanatomy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, 20251, Hamburg, Germany.
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15
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Grant RA, Breakell V, Prescott TJ. Whisker touch sensing guides locomotion in small, quadrupedal mammals. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20180592. [PMID: 29899069 PMCID: PMC6015872 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.0592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2018] [Accepted: 05/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
All small mammals have prominent facial whiskers that they employ as tactile sensors to guide navigation and foraging in complex habitats. Nocturnal, arboreal mammals tend to have the longest and most densely packed whiskers, and semi-aquatic mammals have the most sensitive. Here we present evidence to indicate that many small mammals use their whiskers to tactually guide safe foot positioning. Specifically, in 11, small, non-flying mammal species, we demonstrate that forepaw placement always falls within the ground contact zone of the whisker field and that forepaw width is always smaller than whisker span. We also demonstrate commonalities of whisker scanning movements (whisking) and elements of active control, associated with increasing contact with objects of interest, across multiple small mammal species that have previously only been shown in common laboratory animals. Overall, we propose that guiding locomotion, alongside environment exploration, is a common function of whisker touch sensing in small, quadrupedal mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn A Grant
- Division of Biology and Conservation Ecology, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | | | - Tony J Prescott
- Department of Computer Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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16
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Convergence of Primary Sensory Cortex and Cerebellar Nuclei Pathways in the Whisker System. Neuroscience 2018; 368:229-239. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2017.07.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2017] [Revised: 07/07/2017] [Accepted: 07/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
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17
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Basal Ganglia Output Controls Active Avoidance Behavior. J Neurosci 2017; 36:10274-10284. [PMID: 27707965 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1842-16.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2016] [Accepted: 07/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Engrained avoidance behavior is highly adaptive when it keeps away harmful events and can be highly maladaptive when individuals elude harmless situations in anxiety disorders, but the neural circuits that mediate avoidance are poorly understood. Using DREADDs and optogenetics in mice, we show that the output of the basal ganglia through the substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr) controls active avoidance. SNr excitation blocks avoidance to a conditioned sensory stimulus while preserving the ability to escape the harmful event. Conversely, SNr inhibition facilitates avoidance to the conditioned stimulus and suffices to drive avoidance without any conditioned sensory stimulus. The results highlight a midbrain circuit that gates avoidance responses, which can be targeted to ameliorate maladaptive avoidance in psychiatric disorders. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT In many circumstances, subjects respond to fearful situations with avoidance. This is a useful coping strategy in situations in which there is impending danger. However, avoidance responses can also be maladaptive, as in anxiety disorders such as phobias (e.g., avoiding air transportation) and social anxiety (e.g., avoiding social situations). Despite the obvious clinical relevance, little is known about the neural circuits that mediate active avoidance. Using chemogenetics and optogenetics, we show that the output of the basal ganglia fully controls active avoidance behavior.
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18
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Hobbs JA, Towal RB, Hartmann MJZ. Probability distributions of whisker-surface contact: quantifying elements of the rat vibrissotactile natural scene. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 218:2551-62. [PMID: 26290591 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.116186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Analysis of natural scene statistics has been a powerful approach for understanding neural coding in the auditory and visual systems. In the field of somatosensation, it has been more challenging to quantify the natural tactile scene, in part because somatosensory signals are so tightly linked to the animal's movements. The present work takes a step towards quantifying the natural tactile scene for the rat vibrissal system by simulating rat whisking motions to systematically investigate the probabilities of whisker-object contact in naturalistic environments. The simulations permit an exhaustive search through the complete space of possible contact patterns, thereby allowing for the characterization of the patterns that would most likely occur during long sequences of natural exploratory behavior. We specifically quantified the probabilities of 'concomitant contact', that is, given that a particular whisker makes contact with a surface during a whisk, what is the probability that each of the other whiskers will also make contact with the surface during that whisk? Probabilities of concomitant contact were quantified in simulations that assumed increasingly naturalistic conditions: first, the space of all possible head poses; second, the space of behaviorally preferred head poses as measured experimentally; and third, common head poses in environments such as cages and burrows. As environments became more naturalistic, the probability distributions shifted from exhibiting a 'row-wise' structure to a more diagonal structure. Results also reveal that the rat appears to use motor strategies (e.g. head pitches) that generate contact patterns that are particularly well suited to extract information in the presence of uncertainty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Hobbs
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - R Blythe Towal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Mitra J Z Hartmann
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA Department of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
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19
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Castro-Alamancos MA, Favero M. Whisker-related afferents in superior colliculus. J Neurophysiol 2016; 115:2265-79. [PMID: 26864754 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00028.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2016] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Rodents use their whiskers to explore the environment, and the superior colliculus is part of the neural circuits that process this sensorimotor information. Cells in the intermediate layers of the superior colliculus integrate trigeminotectal afferents from trigeminal complex and corticotectal afferents from barrel cortex. Using histological methods in mice, we found that trigeminotectal and corticotectal synapses overlap somewhat as they innervate the lower and upper portions of the intermediate granular layer, respectively. Using electrophysiological recordings and optogenetics in anesthetized mice in vivo, we showed that, similar to rats, whisker deflections produce two successive responses that are driven by trigeminotectal and corticotectal afferents. We then employed in vivo and slice experiments to characterize the response properties of these afferents. In vivo, corticotectal responses triggered by electrical stimulation of the barrel cortex evoke activity in the superior colliculus that increases with stimulus intensity and depresses with increasing frequency. In slices from adult mice, optogenetic activation of channelrhodopsin-expressing trigeminotectal and corticotectal fibers revealed that cells in the intermediate layers receive more efficacious trigeminotectal, than corticotectal, synaptic inputs. Moreover, the efficacy of trigeminotectal inputs depresses more strongly with increasing frequency than that of corticotectal inputs. The intermediate layers of superior colliculus appear to be tuned to process strong but infrequent trigeminal inputs and weak but more persistent cortical inputs, which explains features of sensory responsiveness, such as the robust rapid sensory adaptation of whisker responses in the superior colliculus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel A Castro-Alamancos
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Morgana Favero
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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20
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Watson GDR, Smith JB, Alloway KD. The Zona Incerta Regulates Communication between the Superior Colliculus and the Posteromedial Thalamus: Implications for Thalamic Interactions with the Dorsolateral Striatum. J Neurosci 2015; 35:9463-76. [PMID: 26109669 PMCID: PMC4478257 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1606-15.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2015] [Revised: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
There is uncertainty concerning the circuit connections by which the superior colliculus interacts with the basal ganglia. To address this issue, anterograde and retrograde tracers were placed, respectively, into the superior colliculus and globus pallidus of Sprague-Dawley rats. In this two-tracer experiment, the projections from the superior colliculus terminated densely in the ventral zona incerta (ZIv), but did not overlap the labeled neurons observed in the subthalamic nucleus. In cases in which anterograde and retrograde tracers were placed, respectively, in sensory-responsive sites in the superior colliculus and posteromedial (POm) thalamus, the labeled projections from superior colliculus innervated the ZIv regions that contained the labeled neurons that project to POm. We also confirmed this colliculo-incertal-POm pathway by depositing a mixture of retrograde and anterograde tracers at focal sites in ZIv to reveal retrogradely labeled neurons in superior colliculus and anterogradely labeled terminals in POm. When combined with retrograde tracer injections in POm, immunohistochemical processing proved that most ZIv projections to POm are GABAergic. Consistent with these findings, direct stimulation of superior colliculus evoked neuronal excitation in ZIv and caused inhibition of spontaneous activity in POm. Collectively, these results indicate that superior colliculus can activate the inhibitory projections from ZIv to the POm. This is significant because it suggests that the superior colliculus could suppress the interactions between POm and the dorsolateral striatum, presumably to halt ongoing behaviors so that more adaptive motor actions are selected in response to unexpected sensory events. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT By demonstrating that the zona incerta regulates communication between the superior colliculus and the posteromedial thalamus, we have uncovered a circuit that partly explains the behavioral changes that occur in response to unexpected sensory stimuli. Furthermore, this circuit could explain why deep brain stimulation of the zona incerta is beneficial to patients who suffer from Parkinson's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Glenn D R Watson
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033-2255, and Center for Neural Engineering and
| | - Jared B Smith
- Center for Neural Engineering and Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802
| | - Kevin D Alloway
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania 17033-2255, and Center for Neural Engineering and
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21
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Castro-Alamancos MA, Bezdudnaya T. Modulation of artificial whisking related signals in barrel cortex. J Neurophysiol 2014; 113:1287-301. [PMID: 25505118 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00809.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Rats use rhythmic whisker movements, called active whisking, to sense the environment, which include whisker protractions followed by retractions at various frequencies. Using a proxy of active whisking in anesthetized rats, called artificial whisking, which is induced by electrically stimulating the facial motor nerve, we characterized the neural responses evoked in the barrel cortex by whisking in air (without contact) and on a surface (with contact). Neural responses were compared between distinct network states consisting of cortical deactivation (synchronized slow oscillations) and activation (desynchronized state) produced by neuromodulation (cholinergic or noradrenergic stimulation in neocortex or thalamus). Here we show that population responses in the barrel cortex consist of a robust signal driven by the onset of the whisker protraction followed by a whisking retraction signal that emerges during low frequency whisking on a surface. The whisking movement onset signal is suppressed by increasing whisking frequency, is controlled by cortical synaptic inhibition, is suppressed during cortical activation states, is little affected by whisking on a surface, and is ubiquitous in ventroposterior medial (VPM) thalamus, barrel cortex, and superior colliculus. The whisking retraction signal codes the duration of the preceding whisker protraction, is present in thalamocortical networks but not in superior colliculus, and is robust during cortical activation; a state associated with natural exploratory whisking. The expression of different whisking signals in forebrain and midbrain may define the sensory processing abilities of those sensorimotor circuits. Whisking related signals in the barrel cortex are controlled by network states that are set by neuromodulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel A Castro-Alamancos
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
| | - Tatiana Bezdudnaya
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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22
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Abstract
The superior colliculus is part of a broader neural network that can decode whisker movements in air and on objects, which is a strategy used by behaving rats to sense the environment. The intermediate layers of the superior colliculus receive whisker-related excitatory afferents from the trigeminal complex and barrel cortex, inhibitory afferents from extrinsic and intrinsic sources, and neuromodulatory afferents from cholinergic and monoaminergic nuclei. However, it is not well known how these inputs regulate whisker-related activity in the superior colliculus. We found that barrel cortex afferents drive the superior colliculus during the middle portion of the rising phase of the whisker movement protraction elicited by artificial (fictive) whisking in anesthetized rats. In addition, both spontaneous and whisker-related neural activities in the superior colliculus are under strong inhibitory and neuromodulator control. Cholinergic stimulation activates the superior colliculus by increasing spontaneous firing and, in some cells, whisker-evoked responses. Monoaminergic stimulation has the opposite effects. The actions of neuromodulator and inhibitory afferents may be the basis of the different firing rates and sensory responsiveness observed in the superior colliculus of behaving animals during distinct behavioral states.
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23
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl C.H. Petersen
- Laboratory of Sensory Processing, Brain Mind Institute, Faculty of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland;
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24
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Bertram C, Dahan L, Boorman LW, Harris S, Vautrelle N, Leriche M, Redgrave P, Overton PG. Cortical regulation of dopaminergic neurons: role of the midbrain superior colliculus. J Neurophysiol 2013; 111:755-67. [PMID: 24225541 PMCID: PMC3921396 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00329.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Dopaminergic (DA) neurons respond to stimuli in a wide range of modalities, although the origin of the afferent sensory signals has only recently begun to emerge. In the case of vision, an important source of short-latency sensory information seems to be the midbrain superior colliculus (SC). However, longer-latency responses have been identified that are less compatible with the primitive perceptual capacities of the colliculus. Rather, they seem more in keeping with the processing capabilities of the cortex. Given that there are robust projections from the cortex to the SC, we examined whether cortical information could reach DA neurons via a relay in the colliculus. The somatosensory barrel cortex was stimulated electrically in the anesthetized rat with either single pulses or pulse trains. Although single pulses produced small phasic activations in the colliculus, they did not elicit responses in the majority of DA neurons. However, after disinhibitory intracollicular injections of the GABAA antagonist bicuculline, collicular responses were substantially enhanced and previously unresponsive DA neurons now exhibited phasic excitations or inhibitions. Pulse trains applied to the cortex led to phasic changes (excitations to inhibitions) in the activity of DA neurons at baseline. These were blocked or attenuated by intracollicular administration of the GABAA agonist muscimol. Taken together, the results indicate that the cortex can communicate with DA neurons via a relay in the SC. As a consequence, DA neuronal activity reflecting the unexpected occurrence of salient events and that signaling more complex stimulus properties may have a common origin.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Bertram
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, United Kingdom; and
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25
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Alloway KD, Smith JB, Watson GDR. Thalamostriatal projections from the medial posterior and parafascicular nuclei have distinct topographic and physiologic properties. J Neurophysiol 2013; 111:36-50. [PMID: 24108793 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00399.2013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The dorsolateral striatum (DLS) is critical for executing sensorimotor behaviors that depend on stimulus-response (S-R) associations. In rats, the DLS receives it densest inputs from primary somatosensory (SI) cortex, but it also receives substantial input from the thalamus. Much of rat DLS is devoted to processing whisker-related information, and thalamic projections to these whisker-responsive DLS regions originate from the parafascicular (Pf) and medial posterior (POm) nuclei. To determine which thalamic nucleus is better suited for mediating S-R associations in the DLS, we compared their input-output connections and neuronal responses to repetitive whisker stimulation. Tracing experiments demonstrate that POm projects specifically to the DLS, but the Pf innervates both dorsolateral and dorsomedial parts of the striatum. The Pf nucleus is innervated by whisker-sensitive sites in the superior colliculus, and these sites also send dense projections to the zona incerta, a thalamic region that sends inhibitory projections to the POm. These data suggest that projections from POm to the DLS are suppressed by incertal inputs when the superior colliculus is activated by unexpected sensory stimuli. Simultaneous recordings with two electrodes indicate that POm neurons are more responsive and habituate significantly less than Pf neurons during repetitive whisker stimulation. Response latencies are also shorter in POm than in Pf, which is consistent with the fact that Pf receives its whisker information via synaptic relays in the superior colliculus. These findings indicate that, compared with the Pf nucleus, POm transmits somatosensory information to the DLS with a higher degree of sensory fidelity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin D Alloway
- Department of Neural and Behavioral Sciences, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania; and
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26
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Mitchinson B, Prescott TJ. Whisker movements reveal spatial attention: a unified computational model of active sensing control in the rat. PLoS Comput Biol 2013; 9:e1003236. [PMID: 24086120 PMCID: PMC3784505 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003236] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2013] [Accepted: 08/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial attention is most often investigated in the visual modality through measurement of eye movements, with primates, including humans, a widely-studied model. Its study in laboratory rodents, such as mice and rats, requires different techniques, owing to the lack of a visual fovea and the particular ethological relevance of orienting movements of the snout and the whiskers in these animals. In recent years, several reliable relationships have been observed between environmental and behavioural variables and movements of the whiskers, but the function of these responses, as well as how they integrate, remains unclear. Here, we propose a unifying abstract model of whisker movement control that has as its key variable the region of space that is the animal's current focus of attention, and demonstrate, using computer-simulated behavioral experiments, that the model is consistent with a broad range of experimental observations. A core hypothesis is that the rat explicitly decodes the location in space of whisker contacts and that this representation is used to regulate whisker drive signals. This proposition stands in contrast to earlier proposals that the modulation of whisker movement during exploration is mediated primarily by reflex loops. We go on to argue that the superior colliculus is a candidate neural substrate for the siting of a head-centred map guiding whisker movement, in analogy to current models of visual attention. The proposed model has the potential to offer a more complete understanding of whisker control as well as to highlight the potential of the rodent and its whiskers as a tool for the study of mammalian attention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Mitchinson
- Department Of Psychology, The University Of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Tony J. Prescott
- Department Of Psychology, The University Of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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27
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Giassi ACC, Duarte TT, Ellis W, Maler L. Organization of the gymnotiform fish pallium in relation to learning and memory: II. Extrinsic connections. J Comp Neurol 2013; 520:3338-68. [PMID: 22430442 DOI: 10.1002/cne.23109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
This study describes the extrinsic connections of the dorsal telencephalon (pallium) of gymnotiform fish. We show that the afferents to the dorsolateral and dorsomedial pallial subdivisions of gymnotiform fish arise from the preglomerular complex. The preglomerular complex receives input from four clearly distinct regions: (1) descending input from the pallium itself (dorsomedial and dorsocentral subdivisions and nucleus taenia); (2) other diencephalic nuclei (centroposterior, glomerular, and anterior tuberal nuclei and nucleus of the posterior tuberculum); (3) mesencephalic sensory structures (optic tectum, dorsal and ventral torus semicircularis); and (4) basal forebrain, preoptic area, and hypothalamic nuclei. Previous studies have implicated the majority of the diencephalic and mesencephalic nuclei in electrosensory, visual, and acousticolateral functions. Here we discuss the implications of preglomerular/pallial electrosensory-associated afferents with respect to a major functional dichotomy of the electric sense. The results allow us to hypothesize that a functional distinction between electrocommunication vs. electrolocation is maintained within the input and output pathways of the gymnotiform pallium. Electrocommunication information is conveyed to the pallium through complex indirect pathways that originate in the nucleus electrosensorius, whereas electrolocation processing follows a conservative pathway inherent to all vertebrates, through the optic tectum. We hypothesize that cells responsive to communication signals do not converge onto the same targets in the preglomerular complex as cells responsive to moving objects. We also hypothesize that efferents from the dorsocentral (DC) telencephalon project to the dorsal torus semicircularis to regulate processing of electrocommunication signals, whereas DC efferents to the tectum modulate sensory control of movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana C C Giassi
- Department of Cell and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada.
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28
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Fast feedback in active sensing: touch-induced changes to whisker-object interaction. PLoS One 2012; 7:e44272. [PMID: 23028512 PMCID: PMC3445569 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2012] [Accepted: 07/31/2012] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Whisking mediated touch is an active sense whereby whisker movements are modulated by sensory input and behavioral context. Here we studied the effects of touching an object on whisking in head-fixed rats. Simultaneous movements of whiskers C1, C2, and D1 were tracked bilaterally and their movements compared. During free-air whisking, whisker protractions were typically characterized by a single acceleration-deceleration event, whisking amplitude and velocity were correlated, and whisk duration correlated with neither amplitude nor velocity. Upon contact with an object, a second acceleration-deceleration event occurred in about 25% of whisk cycles, involving both contacting (C2) and non-contacting (C1, D1) whiskers ipsilateral to the object. In these cases, the rostral whisker (C2) remained in contact with the object throughout the double-peak phase, which effectively prolonged the duration of C2 contact. These “touch-induced pumps” (TIPs) were detected, on average, 17.9 ms after contact. On a slower time scale, starting at the cycle following first touch, contralateral amplitude increased while ipsilateral amplitude decreased. Our results demonstrate that sensory-induced motor modulations occur at various timescales, and directly affect object palpation.
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29
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Feldmeyer D. Excitatory neuronal connectivity in the barrel cortex. Front Neuroanat 2012; 6:24. [PMID: 22798946 PMCID: PMC3394394 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2012.00024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 208] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2012] [Accepted: 06/15/2012] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Neocortical areas are believed to be organized into vertical modules, the cortical columns, and the horizontal layers 1–6. In the somatosensory barrel cortex these columns are defined by the readily discernible barrel structure in layer 4. Information processing in the neocortex occurs along vertical and horizontal axes, thereby linking individual barrel-related columns via axons running through the different cortical layers of the barrel cortex. Long-range signaling occurs within the neocortical layers but also through axons projecting through the white matter to other neocortical areas and subcortical brain regions. Because of the ease of identification of barrel-related columns, the rodent barrel cortex has become a prototypical system to study the interactions between different neuronal connections within a sensory cortical area and between this area and other cortical as well subcortical regions. Such interactions will be discussed specifically for the feed-forward and feedback loops between the somatosensory and the somatomotor cortices as well as the different thalamic nuclei. In addition, recent advances concerning the morphological characteristics of excitatory neurons and their impact on the synaptic connectivity patterns and signaling properties of neuronal microcircuits in the whisker-related somatosensory cortex will be reviewed. In this context, their relationship between the structural properties of barrel-related columns and their function as a module in vertical synaptic signaling in the whisker-related cortical areas will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dirk Feldmeyer
- Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, INM-2, Research Centre Jülich Jülich, Germany
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30
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Grant RA, Sperber AL, Prescott TJ. The role of orienting in vibrissal touch sensing. Front Behav Neurosci 2012; 6:39. [PMID: 22787445 PMCID: PMC3391677 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2012.00039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2012] [Accepted: 06/20/2012] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rodents, such as rats and mice, are strongly tactile animals who explore the environment with their long mobile facial whiskers, or macrovibrissae, and orient to explore objects further with their shorter, more densely packed, microvibrissae. Although whisker motion (whisking) has been extensively studied, less is known about how rodents orient their vibrissal system to investigate unexpected stimuli. We describe two studies that address this question. In the first we seek to characterize how adult rats orient toward unexpected macrovibrissal contacts with objects and examine the microvibrissal exploration behavior following such contacts. We show that rats orient to the nearest macrovibrissal contact on an unexpected object, progressively homing in on the nearest contact point on the object in each subsequent whisk. Following contact, rats "dab" against the object with their microvibrissae at an average rate of approximately 8 Hz, which suggests synchronization of microvibrissal dabbing with macrovibrissal motion, and an amplitude of 5 mm. In study two, we examine the role of orienting to tactile contacts in developing rat pups for maintaining aggregations (huddles). We show that young pups are able to orient to contacts with nearby conspecifics before their eyes open implying an important role for the macrovibrissae, which are present from birth, in maintaining contact with conspecifics. Overall, these data suggest that orienting to tactile cues, detected by the vibrissal system, plays a crucial role throughout the life of a rat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robyn A. Grant
- Department of Psychology, University of SheffieldSheffield, UK
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Bosman LWJ, Houweling AR, Owens CB, Tanke N, Shevchouk OT, Rahmati N, Teunissen WHT, Ju C, Gong W, Koekkoek SKE, De Zeeuw CI. Anatomical pathways involved in generating and sensing rhythmic whisker movements. Front Integr Neurosci 2011; 5:53. [PMID: 22065951 PMCID: PMC3207327 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2011.00053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2011] [Accepted: 08/26/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The rodent whisker system is widely used as a model system for investigating sensorimotor integration, neural mechanisms of complex cognitive tasks, neural development, and robotics. The whisker pathways to the barrel cortex have received considerable attention. However, many subcortical structures are paramount to the whisker system. They contribute to important processes, like filtering out salient features, integration with other senses, and adaptation of the whisker system to the general behavioral state of the animal. We present here an overview of the brain regions and their connections involved in the whisker system. We do not only describe the anatomy and functional roles of the cerebral cortex, but also those of subcortical structures like the striatum, superior colliculus, cerebellum, pontomedullary reticular formation, zona incerta, and anterior pretectal nucleus as well as those of level setting systems like the cholinergic, histaminergic, serotonergic, and noradrenergic pathways. We conclude by discussing how these brain regions may affect each other and how they together may control the precise timing of whisker movements and coordinate whisker perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurens W. J. Bosman
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MCRotterdam, Netherlands
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Academy of Arts and SciencesAmsterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Cullen B. Owens
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MCRotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Nouk Tanke
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MCRotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Negah Rahmati
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MCRotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Chiheng Ju
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MCRotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Wei Gong
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MCRotterdam, Netherlands
| | | | - Chris I. De Zeeuw
- Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MCRotterdam, Netherlands
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Academy of Arts and SciencesAmsterdam, Netherlands
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Bezdudnaya T, Castro-Alamancos MA. Superior colliculus cells sensitive to active touch and texture during whisking. J Neurophysiol 2011; 106:332-46. [PMID: 21525369 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00072.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Rats sense the environment through rhythmic vibrissa protractions, called active whisking, which can be simulated in anesthetized rats by electrically stimulating the facial motor nerve. Using this method, we investigated barrel cortex field potential and superior colliculus single-unit responses during passive touch, whisking movement, active touch, and texture discrimination. Similar to passive touch, whisking movement is signaled during the onset of the whisker protraction by short-latency responses in barrel cortex that drive corticotectal responses in superior colliculus, and all these responses show robust adaptation with increases in whisking frequency. Active touch and texture are signaled by longer latency responses, first in superior colliculus during the rising phase of the protraction, likely driven by trigeminotectal inputs, and later in barrel cortex by the falling phase of the protraction. Thus, superior colliculus is part of a broader vibrissa neural network that can decode whisking movement, active touch, and texture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Bezdudnaya
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19129, USA
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Khatri V, Bermejo R, Brumberg JC, Zeigler HP. Whisking in air: encoding of kinematics by VPM neurons in awake rats. Somatosens Mot Res 2011; 27:111-20. [PMID: 20722492 DOI: 10.3109/08990220.2010.502381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Rodent whisking behavior generates two types of neural signals: one produced by whisker contact with objects; the other by movements in air. While kinematic signals generated by contact reliably activate neurons at all levels of the trigeminal neuraxis, the extent to which the kinematics of whisking in air are reliably encoded at each level remains unclear. Previously, we showed that the responses of trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons in awake, head-fixed rats are correlated with whisking kinematic parameters, but that individual neurons may differ substantially in the reliability of their kinematic encoding. Here, we extend that analysis to neurons in the ventral posterior medial (VPM) nucleus. Three possible coding strategies were examined: (1) firing rate across an entire movement; (2) the probability of individual spikes as a function of the instantaneous movement trajectory; and (3) the coherence between spikes and whisking. While VPM neurons were clearly responsive to variations in whisker kinematics during whisking in air, the encoding of whisker kinematics by VPM neurons was less consistent than that of TG neurons. Furthermore, we found that, in VPM as in TG, movement direction is an important determinant of unit responsiveness during whisking in air.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Khatri
- Department of Biology, City College of New York, New York, NY, USA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Asaf Keller
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine
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Favaro PDN, Gouvêa TS, de Oliveira SR, Vautrelle N, Redgrave P, Comoli E. The influence of vibrissal somatosensory processing in rat superior colliculus on prey capture. Neuroscience 2010; 176:318-27. [PMID: 21163336 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2010.12.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2010] [Revised: 12/04/2010] [Accepted: 12/09/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The lateral part of intermediate layer of superior colliculus (SCl) is a critical substrate for successful predation by rats. Hunting-evoked expression of the activity marker Fos is concentrated in SCl while prey capture in rats with NMDA lesions in SCl is impaired. Particularly affected are rapid orienting and stereotyped sequences of actions associated with predation of fast moving prey. Such deficits are consistent with the view that the deep layers of SC are important for sensory guidance of movement. Although much of the relevant evidence involves visual control of movement, less is known about movement guidance by somatosensory input from vibrissae. Indeed, our impression is that prey contact with whiskers is a likely stimulus to trigger predation. Moreover, SCl receives whisker and orofacial somatosensory information directly from trigeminal complex, and indirectly from zona incerta, parvicelular reticular formation and somatosensory barrel cortex. To better understand sensory guidance of predation by vibrissal information we investigated prey capture by rats after whisker removal and the role of superior colliculus (SC) by comparing Fos expression after hunting with and without whiskers. Rats were allowed to hunt cockroaches, after which their whiskers were removed. Two days later they were allowed to hunt cockroaches again. Without whiskers the rats were less able to retain the cockroaches after capture and less able to pursue them in the event of the cockroach escaping. The predatory behaviour of rats with re-grown whiskers returned to normal. In parallel, Fos expression in SCl induced by predation was significantly reduced in whiskerless animals. We conclude that whiskers contribute to the efficiency of rat prey capture and that the loss of vibrissal input to SCl, as reflected by reduced Fos expression, could play a critical role in predatory deficits of whiskerless rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- P D N Favaro
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes, 3900, CEP: 14049-900, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
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Hemelt ME, Kwegyir-Afful EE, Bruno RM, Simons DJ, Keller A. Consistency of angular tuning in the rat vibrissa system. J Neurophysiol 2010; 104:3105-12. [PMID: 20668277 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00697.2009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Each region along the rat mystacial vibrissa pathway contains neurons that respond preferentially to vibrissa deflections in a particular direction, a property called angular tuning. Angular tuning is normally defined using responses to deflections of the principal vibrissa, which evokes the largest response magnitude. However, neurons in most brain regions respond to multiple vibrissae and do not necessarily respond to different vibrissae with the same angular tuning. We tested the consistency of angular tuning across the receptive field in several stations along the vibrissa-to-cortex pathway: primary somatosensory (barrel) cortex, ventroposterior medial nucleus of the thalamus (VPM), second somatosensory cortex, and superior colliculus. We found that when averaged across the population, neurons in all of these regions have low (superior colliculus and second somatosensory cortex) or statistically insignificant (barrel cortex and VPM) angular tuning consistencies across vibrissae. Nevertheless, in each region there are a small number of neurons that display consistent angular tuning for at least some vibrissae. We discuss the relevance of these findings for the transformation of inputs along the vibrissa trigeminal pathway and for the detection of sensory cues by whisking animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie E Hemelt
- Dept. of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, 20 Penn St., Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
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Abstract
Active avoidance of harmful situations seems highly adaptive, but the underlying neural mechanisms are unknown. Rats can effectively use the superior colliculus during active avoidance to detect a salient whisker conditioned stimulus (WCS) that signals an aversive event. Here, we recorded unit and field potential activity in the intermediate layers of the superior colliculus of rats during active avoidance behavior. During the period preceding the onset of the WCS, avoids are associated with a higher firing rate than escapes (unsuccessful avoids), indicating that a prepared superior colliculus is more likely to detect the WCS and lead to an avoid. Moreover, during the WCS, a robust ramping up of the overall firing rate is observed for trials leading to avoids. The firing rate ramping is not caused by shuttling and may serve to drive downstream circuits to avoid. Therefore, a robust neural correlate of active avoidance behavior is found in the superior colliculus, emphasizing its role in the detection of salient sensory signals that require immediate action.
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Cohen JD, Castro-Alamancos MA. Behavioral state dependency of neural activity and sensory (whisker) responses in superior colliculus. J Neurophysiol 2010; 104:1661-72. [PMID: 20610783 DOI: 10.1152/jn.00340.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Rats use their vibrissa (whiskers) to explore and navigate the environment. These sensory signals are distributed within the brain stem by the trigeminal complex and are also relayed to the superior colliculus in the midbrain and to the thalamus (and subsequently barrel cortex) in the forebrain. In the intermediate layers of the superior colliculus, whisker-evoked responses are driven by direct inputs from the trigeminal complex (trigeminotectal) and feedback from the barrel cortex (corticotectal). But the effects of the behavioral state of the animal on the spontaneous firing and sensory responses of these neurons are unknown. By recording from freely behaving rats, we show that the spontaneous firing of whisker sensitive neurons in superior colliculus is higher, or in an activated mode, during active exploration and paradoxical sleep and much lower, or in a quiescent/deactivated mode, during awake immobility and slow-wave sleep. Sensory evoked responses in superior colliculus also depend on behavioral state. Most notably, feedback corticotectal responses are significantly larger during the quiescent/deactivated mode, which tracks the barrel cortex responses on which they depend. Finally, sensory evoked responses depend not only on the state of the animal but also on the orienting response elicited by the stimulus, which agrees with the well known role of the superior colliculus in orienting about salient stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy D Cohen
- Department of Neurobiology, Drexel University College of Medicine, 2900 Queen Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19129, USA
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Aronoff R, Matyas F, Mateo C, Ciron C, Schneider B, Petersen CC. Long-range connectivity of mouse primary somatosensory barrel cortex. Eur J Neurosci 2010; 31:2221-33. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1460-9568.2010.07264.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 232] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Detection of low salience whisker stimuli requires synergy of tectal and thalamic sensory relays. J Neurosci 2010; 30:2245-56. [PMID: 20147551 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.5746-09.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Detection of a sensory stimulus depends on its psychophysical saliency; the higher the saliency, the easier the detection. But it is not known whether sensory relay nuclei differ in their ability to detect low salient whisker stimuli. We found that reversible lesions of either the somatosensory thalamus or superior colliculus blocked detection of a low salience whisker conditioned stimulus (WCS) in an active avoidance task, without affecting detection of a high salience WCS. Thus, thalamic and tectal sensory relays work synergistically to detect low salient stimuli during avoidance behavior, but are redundant during detection of highly salient stimuli. We also recorded electrophysiological responses evoked by high and low salience stimuli in the superior colliculus and barrel cortex of freely behaving animals during active exploration, awake immobility, and sensory detection in the active avoidance task. Field potential (FP) responses evoked in barrel cortex and superior colliculus by high intensity stimuli are larger and adapt more to frequency than those evoked by low-intensity stimuli. FP responses are also more suppressed and adapt less during active exploration, and become further suppressed in barrel cortex during successful detection of either high or low salient stimuli in the active avoidance task. In addition, unit recordings revealed that firing rate increases in superior colliculus during active exploration and especially during successful detection of either high or low salient stimuli in the active avoidance task. We conclude that detection of low salient stimuli is achieved by a sparse neural code distributed through multiple sensory relays.
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Castro-Alamancos MA. Cortical up and activated states: implications for sensory information processing. Neuroscientist 2010; 15:625-34. [PMID: 19321459 DOI: 10.1177/1073858409333074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The neocortex generates spontaneous slow oscillations that consist of up and down states during quiescence. Up states are short epochs of persistent activity that resemble the state of cortical activation during arousal and cognition. The excitability of cortical cells and synaptic networks is impacted by up states. This review describes the characteristics and putative functional role of up states and their similarity with activated states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel A Castro-Alamancos
- Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19129, USA.
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